When the profession of pharmacy was developed in the country way back in 1960s, there was a demand for the qualified pharmacists, in order to cater to the needs of the then profession of pharmacy, a short version of pharmacy program namely Diploma in Pharmacy (DPharm) was developed and offered to the students with SSLC/Xth qualification. Later, in 1990s, the minimum qualification for DPharm admission was raised to PUC/Pre-degree/10+2. Thus a large number of students persuaded their interest in the profession of pharmacy through DPharm and registered themselves as pharmacists. These registered pharmacists confined themselves either to community or hospital pharmacy stores.

Bachelor of Pharmacy, a graduate degree packed with the courses and their contents relevant to the higher levels of the profession of pharmacy in the field of industry, practice, and research. ‘Is there any shortcut for a Diploma in Pharmacy holder to aspire for higher learning in Pharmacy?’

Lateral admission to BPharm (BPharm Lateral entry) is offered to a candidate with DPharm qualification who would like to pursue for higher learning in pharmacy. Thus the lateral entry system allows the candidate to get admission into the second year BPharm directly. So, with three years of further studies, these Diploma in Pharmacy holders can become pharmacy graduates.

MCOPS has been offering this to all the qualified Diploma in Pharmacy holders ever since the Pharmacy Council of India commenced the lateral entry system for the benefit of DPharm qualified people.

The curriculum includes:

• Hands-on training
• Laboratory teaching
• Case studies
• Group discussion
• Conferences for UG students

Assessment
Three sessional exams are conducted in each subject and the average calculated as best 2 out of 3.
Sessional exams are conducted by internal examiners, whereas university papers are evaluated by both external and internal examiners and the average is taken.
Theory examination pattern: Section A: long essays; Section B: short essays; Section C: give reasons for the following.
Practical examination pattern: spotters, synopsis, major experiment, minor experiment and viva.
Attendance: 75% is the minimum attendance required to be eligible to appear for the university exams.